Former President Bill Clinton testified Friday under oath as part of a congressional inquiry into the case of Jeffrey Epstein.
The day before, his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified that she had never met convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bill Clinton published his opening statement for the questioning on X. The hearing is taking place before the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors.
“I would never have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing,” Bill Clinton wrote on X.
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Bill Clinton in a jacuzzi with at least one other person. The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that this person is one of Epstein’s victims.
Foto: Epsteins files / Department of Justice
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Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell, and a woman with a blurred face in an indoor pool.
Foto: Epsteins files / Department of Justice
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Bill Clinton with a person whose face is blurred.
Foto: Epsteins files / Department of Justice
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Bill Clinton receiving a massage from a woman whose face is blurred in Epstein material. The image is shown as it appears in the material. We see unknown why the circle is on the image.
Foto: US Department of Justice / NRK
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Bill Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell (second from left) and another person in matching silk shirts.
Foto: HANDOUT / AFP / NTB
Threatened with Subpoena
Clinton emphasizes that his contact with Epstein ended several years before the financier was convicted of purchasing sexual services from a minor in 2008.
“Even though I never saw any indication of what was really happening during our limited contact, I am here to advise what little I know, so that it may help prevent something similar from happening again in the future.”
The Clintons initially refused to participate in the questioning, but reportedly changed course after the Oversight Committee threatened to subpoena them for contempt of Congress.
This could result in fines or up to one year in prison.
Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have called for an open hearing, without success. The questioning will still be filmed.
According to U.S. Media, the recording will be released a few days later.
Politically Charged: “Wrong President”
Committee Chairman and Republican James Comer has been accused of using the questioning to associate suspicion with the Clintons and give the Democrats a reputational blow.
Comer has dismissed the accusations and said he wants all the cards on the table.
“We’ve spent seven months getting the Clintons here, but now they’re here,” Committee Chairman James Comer said at a press conference outside the Chappaqua Center in the state of New York, where the questioning is taking place Friday.
Republican and Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committee, James Comer, spoke to the press before the questioning of Bill Clinton on Friday.
Foto: DAVID DEE DELGADO / AFP / NTB
Comer says the committee has many questions it wants to question Bill Clinton about his relationship with Epstein.
“We know that Jeffrey Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Bill was president and that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane 27 times,” Comer said.
Hillary Clinton testified for six hours Thursday, and Bill Clinton’s testimony is expected to last even longer.
